Saskatoon Construction II

[taguy]

Fyi...

I noticed the new sign up by the old Canadian tire in confederation, looks like Jysk, Sportchek, and Dollar Tree are moving in.

[Echoes]

Kids' museum closer to Mendel move

By Jeremy Warren, The StarPhoenix November 28, 2011

In April 2009, Erica Bird watched volunteers put together exhibits at Saskatoon's new Children's Discovery Museum, an experiment about to open in a cramped Market Mall retail space.

Less than three years later, the museum is poised to take over the Mendel Art Gallery in a massive expansion that would realize the organization's dream of becoming a major destination for Saskatoon.

"It's really exciting," said Bird, president of the museum's board. "It's still daunting right now, but it's exactly what we've always wanted to do. We have a lot of momentum."

The city's planning and operations committee, which meets Tuesday, will receive an enthusiastic administration report that recommends giving the museum approval to prepare a detailed business plan for moving into the Mendel once the Art Gallery of Saskatchewan opens in 2014.

The report includes the museum's proposal for its expansion into the 30,000-square-foot Mendel building. The organization has partnered with the Saskatchewan Children's Festival and Wide Open Children's Theatre to create a vision that complements the city's $5-million plan to redevelop Kinsmen Park, the report said.

[....]

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/travel/Kid...el+move/5776206/story.html#ixzz1f0bfXiaK

[Jerry]

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

Lame man. When is Parcel Y going to be brought to council? Has the permit even been issued yet? The whole project all in all should be around 75 - 100 million right?

Already done and if things go well its look like construction will start in 2012. Project is around 200 million. Story Here

[exploration camper]

Not sure if anyone else has come across the concept of personal rapid transit. Perhaps the future of Saskatoon mass transit is neither bus nor light rail. Here is a link to wikipedia that lays out the concept of prt. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_rapid_transit

It seems to me that the problem with light rail in Saskatoon is the lack of high density residential. Do you wait until you have the density to spend on a light rail line or do you build it and try to foster density along the rail line? The concept of providing people with a more direct point to point transit system where they don't have to stand out in -30 weather waiting for their bus that may or may not be on time and may or may not be already full is a good one. Setting up a completely untested system is very risky as well though.

[TheCricket]

The new Comfort Inn & Suites is rising from the ground currently by Credit Union Centre. The foundations were poured before snowfall and the walls and steel are going up now. Another hotel in the area will do very well!!

[jigglysquishy]

Originally Posted by exploration camper

Not sure if anyone else has come across the concept of personal rapid transit. Perhaps the future of Saskatoon mass transit is neither bus nor light rail. Here is a link to wikipedia that lays out the concept of prt. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_rapid_transit

It seems to me that the problem with light rail in Saskatoon is the lack of high density residential. Do you wait until you have the density to spend on a light rail line or do you build it and try to foster density along the rail line? The concept of providing people with a more direct point to point transit system where they don't have to stand out in -30 weather waiting for their bus that may or may not be on time and may or may not be already full is a good one. Setting up a completely untested system is very risky as well though.

The old chicken and egg tale. What comes first; density or rail?

I say we designate ROW for rail and let the public know when certain lines will be built. Encourage density along those corridors so that when we reach a population for an LRT we have both the ROW and density.

[Hatched]

Originally Posted by exploration camper

Not sure if anyone else has come across the concept of personal rapid transit. Perhaps the future of Saskatoon mass transit is neither bus nor light rail. Here is a link to wikipedia that lays out the concept of prt. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_rapid_transit

It seems to me that the problem with light rail in Saskatoon is the lack of high density residential. Do you wait until you have the density to spend on a light rail line or do you build it and try to foster density along the rail line? The concept of providing people with a more direct point to point transit system where they don't have to stand out in -30 weather waiting for their bus that may or may not be on time and may or may not be already full is a good one. Setting up a completely untested system is very risky as well though.

Thanks, I have not seen this before.

I agree that setting up a brand new system that is relatively untested and to be the first place in Canada to do it would be very risky. But then I also would like to see us out on the fore front of public transit rather than playing catch up.

I read a little about this from the link provided and for the ULTra system that is at Heathrow Airport they are claiming it would cost 6-8 Million per kilometer. I find this to be a better option than LRT because it is more flexible and you could have more stations closer together because it is a point-to-point, on-demand system.

This would be an interesting alternative.

[Brutopian]

Now that City Council has approved the zoning changes requested by Nasser's group for Parcel Y, I see today that all the Lake Placid project signage has finally been removed from the site. The Lake Placid project sign (rendering) has been removed from the posts, and the Lake Placid signage has been removed from the sales trailer that has been parked on the site for several months. Hopefully we will see signage up for Nasser's $200 million project soon.

The other day, while driving across the Broadway Bridge from the east side of the river to the west side, I pictured a 95 meter tower on that site along with the proposed 17 storey office tower and 10 storey hotel. With Nasser's project nestled nicely on the riverbank beside the new Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan and Persephone Theatre, I think this project will make a big visual impression on locals and visitors alike. It will be a striking addition to the skyline and to the riverbank. Can't wait to see construction start this coming summer.

[Morogolus]

Heard that Saskatoon and Regina are getting Cactus Clubs in 2013. Sort of a trendy Earls/Moxies type place that originally opened in Vancouver and spread east. The restaurant will be located on Idywyld where that old Midtown strip mall used to be. I don't know if that's such a good location but it might be better when the South Bridge is opened.

[Echoes]

Originally Posted by Brutopian

With Nasser's project nestled nicely on the riverbank beside the new Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan and Persephone Theatre, I think this project will make a big visual impression on locals and visitors alike. It will be a striking addition to the skyline and to the riverbank. Can't wait to see construction start this coming summer.

Agreed with you there!

I've been picturing the built out riverfront as well when I cross the Broadway or Idylwyld bridges.

Originally Posted by Morogolus

Heard that Saskatoon and Regina are getting Cactus Clubs in 2013. Sort of a trendy Earls/Moxies type place that originally opened in Vancouver and spread east. The restaurant will be located on Idywyld where that old Midtown strip mall used to be. I don't know if that's such a good location but it might be better when the South Bridge is opened.

Nice to hear that it will at least be in the vicinity of the downtown. Though I desperately hope that they give an urban look to the restaurant (that is, I hope they don't take their cues from nearby Toys R Us!). I'm hoping for something that interfaces nicely with Idylwyld.... as I'm looking to down the road to when Idylwyld is a pedestrianized grand boulevard bordering our downtown.

[Echoes]

Keep the lights on under sidewalks, owner pleads

By David Hutton, The StarPhoenix November 29, 2011

Jeff Fox, maintenance manager for the Avenue Building, looks up at glass prisms set into the 21st Street East sidewalk on Monday.Photograph by: Greg Pender, The Starphoenix, The StarPhoenixThe owner of one of Saskatoon's historic buildings says the city should do more to save the purple glass prisms set into some downtown sidewalks.

"It would be a terrible shame to lose something so unique like that - they're a tourist attraction," said Mitch Yurchak, owner of the Avenue Building on the corner of Third Avenue and 21st Street that houses Elwood Flynn clothing and Jake's on 21st restaurant.

"I think their approach given what they have is not the correct way. If we ran our own survey and sat out there in the spring with a table and a petition form - it would be a no-brainer to get thousands of signatures to save them. We know that for a fact. If it comes to that, we could do that. That should be democracy.

"But, bottom line, the city needs to take some onus."

The glass blocks, called prism lights, are relics from a time when merchants needed light for basement deliveries. The blocks lit the space under the sidewalks, which was used for storage and deliveries of coal and freight.

The three-inch-by-three-inch squares of glass have turned purple over time from oxidation. Many have cracked or been paved over and some building owners complain they leak.

A city committee approved a plan Monday that will see the fire department inspect the 30 or so storage rooms remaining underneath some downtown sidewalks, some of which have the prism panels.

If approved by council, the city's plan is to order property owners to repair or fill in the rooms if they're not structurally sound. The city would cover up to $5,500 for the new sidewalk, but the administration is not recommending helping with the cost to save the prisms.

[....]

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Keep+light...+pleads/5781171/story.html#ixzz1f6asg6X4

[Jerry]

They are in rough shape but love to see these replaced.

[Echoes]

Mayor says major project financing 'well-managed'

By David Hutton, The StarPhoenix November 29, 2011

Mayor Don Atchison says a city report tabled this week laying out all of the city's borrowing on major projects shows Saskatoon is in good financial shape.

The report, an "easy-toread guide" to the financing of the city's big-ticket projects, is the latest to answer former mayor Henry Dayday's contention the city is borrowing too much to pay for major projects.

Dayday, who said recently he's mulling a run for mayor next year, has penned a number of letters to the city questioning spending priorities.

"It goes to show that everything is open and transparent with the city," Atchison said. "This shows the general public that the city is well-managed on the financial side."

"Every time we bring a project forward, the administration makes sure we have the financial plan that comes with it. We're not going out and buying something and then asking where the money is coming from. It's all done as a package and that's what the public needs to know."

The report lists all of the city's major projects since 2006, totalling $770 million, and how they have been funded.

The list includes the $295-million Circle Drive South, the $78-million River Landing, the $84-million Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan, the $47-million Shaw Centre pool, the $17.7-million Circle Drive Bridge widening, the $17-million College Drive and Circle Drive interchange, the $20-million Clarence Avenue and Circle Drive interchange to Stonegate, the $122-million police headquarters, the $45-million water intake, $21-million expansions to water reserves, a $6-million firehall in the southeast, $16 million for a landfill win turbine and gas energy project and the future $30-million Traffic Bridge replacement and $200-million-plus civic operations centre that will house the transit headquarters and city yards.

[....]

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/travel/May...managed/5781188/story.html#ixzz1f6qwwM5U

**And for those interested, a link to the City of Saskatoon Major Projects Report, starting on page 15 in yesterday's agenda of the City's Executive Committee.

[Wyku]

POOR Construction Related....WOW! I can't believe the Mayor is being so nonchalant about this.

Story:
http://www.ckom.com/story/photos-saskatoons-circle-drive-bridge-missing-bolts/33941

[North_Regina_Boy]

Omg! :o

[drm310]

I'd heard about the pedestrian walkway's bolts breaking a couple of months ago, but I guess the story never got out until now. Looks pretty scary.

[WoodlandCritter]

^^^^^ Holy crap. That is not good. Hopefully something is done immediately.

[Chaps]

If it's perfectly safe without those bolts, why were they there in the first place?

And delay it for a year? For what? To save $37 in bolts right now?

Holy man.........

[gowest]

This was on T.V. several months ago with pictures and an interview with the fellow who noticed it. The city was going to look at it then.

[Morogolus]

Well you know the city will have to form a bolt replacement sub committee and then they'll have to have meetings about meetings for the bolt replacement procedure at which time they'll take it to city council who will then vote on it. After it is voted into council they will put out a tender to different construction companies who will then submit different proposals. After a construction company is chosen they will be able to put together a team to go and replace the bolts at a final cost to the tax payer of $225,000.